Rev. Don Campbell
Proverbs 27-29
THOUGHT FOR TODAY, June 18, 2019
“FOUR MORE TYPES OF POWERFUL WORDS”
THOUGHT FOR TODAY, JUNE 18, 2019: FOUR MORE TYPES OF POWERFUL WORDS [Proverbs 27-29)
Solomon had much to say about the use of words, which we saw yesterday are powerful for good or for evil. We shall explore four more of his teachings on the use of words.
Solomon said, “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy” (Proverbs 28:5-6). A few verses later, he says, “Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than he who flatters with his tongue” (Proverbs 28:23). Sometimes rebuke may be perceived as an attack, but later be accepted as a sincere act of love, if our behavior is congruent with our words. If we are speaking the truth in love, our rebuke will be painful to us as well as to the other person (2 Corinthians 2:3).
The other side of the coin is flattery: “A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet” (Proverbs 29:5). Those words which drip with honey when uttered often turn bitter as gall when swallowed. Better is the rebuke of a friend than the kisses of an enemy in disguise.
There’s an old saying, “Better to be thought a fool than speak and remove all doubt.” Solomon said, “A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back” (Proverbs 29:11). The prevailing wisdom of psychobabble is that one should vent one’s feeling. To do otherwise is to bottle up them up and risk all kinds of emotional and physical consequences. Perhaps the analogy will not turn all my readers off, so I’m going to risk it. Venting can sometimes bring relief just as sticking one’s finger down one’s throat to induce vomiting can bring relief. However, when venting becomes a way of life, it is like bulimics who habitually force themselves to vomit and destroy their teeth, experience muscle spasms, and often damage their hearts, and kidneys. Paul has a simple solution: “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger” (Ephesians 4:26).
Some people speak because they have something to say; other people speak because they have to say something. We have all crossed paths with a person who, no matter what the subject, was an expert who was eager to share their ignorance. Solomon warns, “Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him” (Proverbs 29:20).
CONNECTIONS
1. Would you agree that venting by those in high places often attracts people who have no soapbox from which to vent, so they derive pleasure from the rants of others?
2. When “Christians” advocate killing in the name of Jesus, as some have done, is the message congruent with true Christianity?
